Revelation, circa Early March 1841 [D&C 125]

Home >
The Papers >

Revelation, circa Early March 1841 [D&C 125]
Source Note

Revelation,
Nauvoo
Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....
More Info
, Hancock Co., IL, [ca. early Mar. 1841]. Featured version copied [between ca. 20 Mar. and 7 Apr. 1841] in Book of the Law of the Lord, p. 16; handwriting of
Robert B. Thompson
1 Oct. 1811–27 Aug. 1841. Clerk, editor. Born in Great Driffield, Yorkshire, England. Methodist. Immigrated to Upper Canada, 1834. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Parley P. Pratt, May 1836, in Upper Canada. Ordained an elder by...
View Full Bio
; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124].

Historical Introduction
In early March 1841, JS dictated a revelation directing the
Latter-day Saints
The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...
View Glossary
in
Iowa Territory
Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803. First permanent white settlements established, ca. 1833. Organized as territory, 1838, containing all of present-day Iowa, much of present-day Minnesota, and parts of North and South Dakota. Population in...
More Info
to settle in
Zarahemla
Located about one mile west of Mississippi River; area settled, by May 1839. Site for town selected by JS, 2 July 1839, and later confirmed by revelation, Mar. 1841. Iowa stake of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organized by JS, by Oct. 1839. ...
More Info
, Lee County, Iowa Territory, or in other appointed gathering sites.
1
Zarahemla was named after a prominent settlement in the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon indicates that the land and city of Zarahemla were named after a king of that same name who lived approximately two centuries before Christ. (See Book of Mormon, 1840 ed., 146–147, 221 [Omni 1:12–19; Alma 2:26].)
Beginning in 1839, many members of the church settled on the
Illinois
Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...
More Info
side of the
Mississippi River
Principal U.S. river running southward from Itasca Lake, Minnesota, to Gulf of Mexico. Covered 3,160-mile course, 1839 (now about 2,350 miles). Drains about 1,100,000 square miles. Steamboat travel on Mississippi very important in 1830s and 1840s for shipping...
More Info
, in and around
Hancock County
Formed from Pike Co., 1825. Described in 1837 as predominantly prairie and “deficient in timber.” Early settlers came mainly from mid-Atlantic and southern states. Population in 1835 about 3,200; in 1840 about 9,900; and in 1844 at least 15,000. Carthage ...
More Info
, while a smaller number settled in scattered communities across the river in Iowa Territory.

The precise date that JS dictated this revelation is unclear. In early March 1841 the settlement of church members in
Iowa
More Info
was apparently a pressing concern.
John Smith
16 July 1781–23 May 1854. Farmer. Born at Derryfield (later Manchester), Rockingham Co., New Hampshire. Son of Asael Smith and Mary Duty. Member of Congregational church. Appointed overseer of highways at Potsdam, St. Lawrence Co., New York, 1810. Married...
View Full Bio
, the
president
An organized body of leaders over priesthood quorums and other ecclesiastical organizations. A November 1831 revelation first described the office of president over the high priesthood and the church as a whole. By 1832, JS and two counselors constituted ...
View Glossary
of the Iowa
stake
Ecclesiastical organization of church members in a particular locale. Stakes were typically large local organizations of church members; stake leaders could include a presidency, a high council, and a bishopric. Some revelations referred to stakes “to” or...
View Glossary
, recorded in his journal that on 6 March 1841,
Bishop
An ecclesiastical and priesthood office. JS appointed Edward Partridge as the first bishop in February 1831. Following this appointment, Partridge functioned as the local leader of the church in Missouri. Later revelations described a bishop’s duties as receiving...
View Glossary

Alanson Ripley
8 Jan. 1798–before 1860. Surveyor, lawyer. Born at New York. Son of Asa Ripley and Polly Deforest. Married Sarah Finkle. Resided in Massachusetts, 1827. Member of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ohio. Participated in Camp of Israel expedition...
View Full Bio
“came over to inform me that Joseph Said it was the will of the Lord the Brethren in generally in Ambrosia Should move in and about the City
Zerahemla
More Info
with all convenient Speed which the Saints are willing to Do Because it is the word of the Lord.”
2
Ambrosia was a small Latter-day Saint settlement a few miles west of Montrose, Iowa Territory. John Smith added this supplication in his journal: “O Lord Help they people to gather out of Babylon.” (John Smith, Journal, 6 Mar. 1841.)
Comprehensive Works Cited
Smith, John (1781-1854). Journal, 1833–1841. John Smith, Papers, 1833-1854. CHL. MS 1326, box 1, fd. 1.
A few days later, on 11 March, John Smith and two other
elders
A male leader in the church generally; an ecclesiastical and priesthood office or one holding that office; a proselytizing missionary. The Book of Mormon explained that elders ordained priests and teachers and administered “the flesh and blood of Christ unto...
View Glossary
went to
Nauvoo
More Info
, Illinois, to see JS and “to learn the will of the Lord” concerning the Saints in Iowa. According to Smith, JS stated that the Saints were “to move into the city Speedily but make large fields without [and] rais[e] grain.”
3
John Smith, Journal, 11 Mar. 1841.
It is possible that this 11 March conversation between John Smith and JS led to both the “interrogatory” and the subsequent revelation featured here. It is also possible, however, that JS had dictated the revelation earlier and that the Saints in Iowa were already acting on the commands of the revelation prior to John Smith’s meeting with JS.
4
Elias Smith, bishop in the Nashville, Iowa Territory, settlement, noted by 16 March that the “first locations [were] made in Zarahemla by the citizens of Ambrosia.” (Elias Smith, Journal, 16 Mar. 1841.)
Smith, Elias. Journals, 1836–1888. CHL. MS 1319.

Robert B. Thompson
1 Oct. 1811–27 Aug. 1841. Clerk, editor. Born in Great Driffield, Yorkshire, England. Methodist. Immigrated to Upper Canada, 1834. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Parley P. Pratt, May 1836, in Upper Canada. Ordained an elder by...
View Full Bio
recorded this revelation in the Book of the Law of the Lord sometime around or after 20 March 1841, but he did not inscribe the date of its dictation. He placed the revelation after a 20 March 1841 revelation, and it was therefore included under that date in
Willard Richards
24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...
View Full Bio
’s rough draft notes for JS’s multivolume manuscript history.
5
Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 20 Mar. 1841.
This early March revelation was read, along with a 19 January 1841 revelation, at the April 1841 general
conference
A meeting where ecclesiastical officers and other church members could conduct church business. The “Articles and Covenants” of the church directed the elders to hold conferences to perform “Church business.” The first of these conferences was held on 9 June...
View Glossary
of the church in
Nauvoo
More Info
.
6
See Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124]. According to the published minutes of the conference, “Gen. [John C.] Bennett then read the revelations from ‘The Book of the Law of the Lord,’ which had been received since the last general Conference. . . . Pres. Jos. Smith rose and made some observations in explanation of the same.” While the published account does not specifically reference the featured revelation, William Clayton’s account of the conference meeting recorded that “a short revelation was also read concerning the saints in Iowa.” (Minutes, 7–11 Apr. 1841; Clayton, Diary, 8 Apr. 1841.)
Clayton, William. Diary, Vol. 1, 1840–1842. BYU.

According to
William Clayton
17 July 1814–4 Dec. 1879. Bookkeeper, clerk. Born at Charnock Moss, Penwortham, Lancashire, England. Son of Thomas Clayton and Ann Critchley. Married Ruth Moon, 9 Oct. 1836, at Penwortham. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Heber...
View Full Bio
’s diary, JS believed the intent of the revelation was to consolidate the scattered Latter-day Saint settlements in
Iowa
More Info
for the sake of safety. JS even invoked the grim specter of the 1838 massacre at
Hawn’s Mill
Located on north bank of Shoal Creek in eastern part of Caldwell Co., about sixteen miles east of Far West, Missouri. Jacob Hawn (Haun) settled in area, 1832; established mill, 1834. Location of branch of church, 1838. By Oct. 1838, about twenty Latter-day...
More Info
, Missouri, which occurred in part because Hawn’s Mill was isolated from other settlements.
7
Clayton recorded: “Brother Joseph when speaking to one of the brethren on this subject says you have Haun’s Mill for a sample. Many of the brethren immediately made preparations for moving in here but on account of its being so late in the season President John Smith advised to get through with planting and then proceed to move in.” (Clayton, Diary, 8 Apr. 1841.)
On 24 May 1841, JS wrote a letter in which he informed the Saints that all stakes except for those approved in
Hancock County
Formed from Pike Co., 1825. Described in 1837 as predominantly prairie and “deficient in timber.” Early settlers came mainly from mid-Atlantic and southern states. Population in 1835 about 3,200; in 1840 about 9,900; and in 1844 at least 15,000. Carthage ...
More Info
and
Lee County
Located in north-central Illinois, with part of northern county boundary formed by Rock River. Fertile agricultural area. French trappers frequented area, by 1780. Second Black Hawk campaign fought in area, 1832. Illinois Central Railroad construction began...
More Info
were “discontinued” and that Saints living outside of those stakes should relocate to one of the approved areas as soon as they were able.
8
See Letter to the Saints Abroad, 24 May 1841.
In an August 1841 church conference held in
Zarahemla
More Info
,
apostle
A title indicating one sent forth to preach; later designated as a specific ecclesiastical and priesthood office. By 1830, JS and Oliver Cowdery were designated as apostles. The “Articles and Covenants” of the church explained that an “apostle is an elder...
View Glossary

John Taylor
1 Nov. 1808–25 July 1887. Preacher, editor, publisher, politician. Born at Milnthorpe, Westmoreland, England. Son of James Taylor and Agnes Taylor, members of Church of England. Around age sixteen, joined Methodist church and was local preacher. Migrated ...
View Full Bio
reemphasized the revelation’s call to gather there. A “large number present agreed to move in and assist in building up Zarahemla,” as the revelation directed. By August 1841, there were 326 members living in the Zarahemla
branch
An ecclesiastical organization of church members in a particular locale. A branch was generally smaller than a stake or a conference. Branches were also referred to as churches, as in “the Church of Shalersville.” In general, a branch was led by a presiding...
View Glossary
.
9
Iowa Stake, Record, 9 Aug. 1841, 102–103.
Iowa Stake, Record. / Iowa Stake. “Church Record,” 1840–1841. CHL. LR 7817 21.
Footnotes
[1]
Zarahemla was named after a prominent settlement in the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon indicates that the land and city of Zarahemla were named after a king of that same name who lived approximately two centuries before Christ. (See Book of Mormon, 1840 ed., 146–147, 221 [Omni 1:12–19; Alma 2:26].)
[2]
Ambrosia was a small Latter-day Saint settlement a few miles west of Montrose, Iowa Territory. John Smith added this supplication in his journal: “O Lord Help they people to gather out of Babylon.” (John Smith, Journal, 6 Mar. 1841.)
[3]
John Smith, Journal, 11 Mar. 1841.
[4]
Elias Smith, bishop in the Nashville, Iowa Territory, settlement, noted by 16 March that the “first locations [were] made in Zarahemla by the citizens of Ambrosia.” (Elias Smith, Journal, 16 Mar. 1841.)
Smith, Elias. Journals, 1836–1888. CHL. MS 1319.
[5]
Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 20 Mar. 1841.
[6]
See Revelation, 19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124]. According to the published minutes of the conference, “Gen. [John C.] Bennett then read the revelations from ‘The Book of the Law of the Lord,’ which had been received since the last general Conference. . . . Pres. Jos. Smith rose and made some observations in explanation of the same.” While the published account does not specifically reference the featured revelation, William Clayton’s account of the conference meeting recorded that “a short revelation was also read concerning the saints in Iowa.” (Minutes, 7–11 Apr. 1841; Clayton, Diary, 8 Apr. 1841.)
[7]
Clayton recorded: “Brother Joseph when speaking to one of the brethren on this subject says you have Haun’s Mill for a sample. Many of the brethren immediately made preparations for moving in here but on account of its being so late in the season President John Smith advised to get through with planting and then proceed to move in.” (Clayton, Diary, 8 Apr. 1841.)
[8]
See Letter to the Saints Abroad, 24 May 1841.
[9]
Iowa Stake, Record, 9 Aug. 1841, 102–103.
Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Revelation, circa Early March 1841 [D&C 125] *The Book of the Law of the Lord History, 1838–1856, volume C-1 [2 November 1838–31 July 1842] “History of Joseph Smith”
Page 16
Hide editing marks

A Revelation given in the City of
Nauvoo
More Info
in answer to the following interrogatory.

What is the will of the Lord concerning the
Saints
The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...
View Glossary
in the Territory of
Iowa
More Info
?
1
Records of an August 1841 conference of the church in Iowa listed 750 total members in Iowa. (Iowa Stake, Record, 9 Aug. 1841, 103.)

Verily thus saith the Lord, I say unto you if those who call themselves by <my> name, and are assaying to be my saints, if they will do my will and keep my commandments concerning them; let them gather themselves together unto the places which I shall appoint unto them by my servant Joseph, and build up cities unto my name, that they may be prepared for that which is in store for a time to come. Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite to the city of
Nauvoo
More Info
and let the name of
Zarahemla
More Info
be named upon it.
2
According to JS’s journal, on 2 July 1839, JS and other church leaders visited land recently purchased in Iowa and “advised that a town be built there.” Willard Richards’s draft notes for JS’s manuscript history indicate that the town was to “be called Zarahemla.” (JS, Journal, 2 July 1839; Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 2 July 1839.)
And let all those who come from the east and the west, and the north and the south that have desires to dwell therein, take up their inheritances in the same, as well as in the City of
Nashville
Settled by Isaac Galland, 1829. Undeveloped town site purchased by Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1839. Laid out and incorporated, 1841, but charter never adopted. Featured one of nine branches within Iowa Stake (later Zarahemla Stake). Branch...
More Info
3
In January, JS had instructed John Smith to “build up Nashville and put Down wickedness as fast as wisdom will Dictate.” Records of an August 1841 conference of the church in Iowa listed eighty members in Nashville at that time. (John Smith, Journal, 3 Jan. 1841; Iowa Stake, Record, 9 Aug. 1841, 103.)
or in the City of
Nauvoo
More Info
, and in all the
stakes
Ecclesiastical organization of church members in a particular locale. Stakes were typically large local organizations of church members; stake leaders could include a presidency, a high council, and a bishopric. Some revelations referred to stakes “to” or...
View Glossary
which I have appointed saith the Lord.
4
A stake of the church was formally organized in Iowa Territory on 5 October 1839. John Smith was appointed president, Alanson Ripley was made a bishop, and a high council was organized. (Minutes and Discourses, 5–7 Oct. 1839.)
[p. 16]
View entire transcript
|
Cite this page
Source Note
Document Transcript
Page 16
Document Information
Footnotes
[1]
Records of an August 1841 conference of the church in Iowa listed 750 total members in Iowa. (Iowa Stake, Record, 9 Aug. 1841, 103.)
[2]
According to JS’s journal, on 2 July 1839, JS and other church leaders visited land recently purchased in Iowa and “advised that a town be built there.” Willard Richards’s draft notes for JS’s manuscript history indicate that the town was to “be called Zarahemla.” (JS, Journal, 2 July 1839; Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 2 July 1839.)
[3]
In January, JS had instructed John Smith to “build up Nashville and put Down wickedness as fast as wisdom will Dictate.” Records of an August 1841 conference of the church in Iowa listed eighty members in Nashville at that time. (John Smith, Journal, 3 Jan. 1841; Iowa Stake, Record, 9 Aug. 1841, 103.)
[4]
A stake of the church was formally organized in Iowa Territory on 5 October 1839. John Smith was appointed president, Alanson Ripley was made a bishop, and a high council was organized. (Minutes and Discourses, 5–7 Oct. 1839.)